Middle Barton Pre-School

Middle Barton Pre-School

Inspection report for early years provision

p.1

Middle Barton Pre-School

Unique Reference Number 133492 Inspection date 12 June 2006 Inspector Jill Milton

p.1

Middle Barton Pre-School

Setting Address 29 Church Lane, Middle Barton, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 7BX Telephone number 01869 347968

p.1

E-mail

Registered person Middle Barton Pre-School Type of inspection Integrated Type of care Sessional care

p.1

E-mail

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.1

ABOUT THIS INSPECTION

The purpose of this inspection is to assure government, parents and the public of the quality of childcare and, if applicable, of nursery education. The inspection was carried out under Part XA Children Act 1989 as introduced by the Care Standards Act 2000 and, where nursery education is provided, under Schedule 26 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004; the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding; and, where nursery education is provided, the Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage. The report includes information on any complaints about the childcare provision which Ofsted has received since the last inspection or registration or 1 April 2004 whichever is the later.

p.2

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough For more information about early years inspections, please see the booklet Are you ready for your inspection? which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.2

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

Middle Barton Pre-School registered in 1993 and is managed by a voluntary committee of parents and carers. The group meet in a pre-fabricated building located in the grounds of the school in Middle Barton. The intake of children is from the village and the surrounding rural communities. The pre-school offers sessional care on weekdays during school term time, from 09.00 to 11.30 and 12.30 to 15.00. A maximum of 24 children may attend at any one

p.2

WHAT SORT OF SETTING IS IT?

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 time and there are currently 44 children on roll. Of these, 27 are in receipt of nursery education funding. The pre-school supports children with learning difficulties or disabilities. The pre-school employs four adults to work with the children and the staff have a range of early years and teaching qualifications. The pre-school have gained the Oxfordshire Quality Matters assurance award and they receive support from the local authority.

p.2

Helping children to be healthy

The provision is good. The children are enthusiastic about being outdoors in the fresh air of the pre-school garden. The area presents them with opportunities for climbing, balancing and using wheeled toys. Younger children gain confidence at using steps onto the climbing frame and being brave enough to use the short fireman's pole for sliding. On occasions the children use the wide open spaces of the adjacent school field for running and kicking footballs, enabling them to take part in energetic play. Quieter activities are also on offer when children need to rest, for example with games on carpet areas or at tables. The children quench their thirst as they access drinking water for themselves. They enjoy snack times in social groups and they eat a range of nutritious foods. Staff work well with parents to ensure they take into account children's special dietary needs. The children play and eat in clean areas since the staff follow good hygiene

p.3

Helping children to be healthy

routines. The children question why staff wipe tables with antibacterial spray and conversations help them to understand the need for good hygiene. Children receive reminders to wash their hands regularly. The staff have a number of effective procedures in place to maintain the good health of the children. The adults renew their first aid qualifications and ensure medical supplies are on hand to attend to accidents. They collect information from parents regarding any medical concerns so that the children receive good care and attention.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The provision is good. Children play in a bright and attractive environment. The walls of the pre-school have many displays that are colourful and reflect the recent topics of interest, such as mini beasts. The children play with a varied selection of resources and staff are good at responding to their wishes. When most of the children choose to play outdoors the staff ensure they have plenty of choice of equipment outside to engage their interest. Equipment is in good condition and staff monitor it for safety and cleanliness. Staff introduce some measures to increase ventilation in the building in hot weather though they do not monitor temperatures to ensure they remain within a comfortable range inside.

p.3

Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 Children play safely since staff supervise them closely. The children are gaining an awareness of safety for themselves as they carefully carry a rolled up mat together or hold tightly when using the climbing frame. Staff monitor access to the premises well and record information from parents if alternative arrangements for the safe collection of children takes place. The staff conduct daily risk assessments to check safety issues and this works effectively in most areas, though children do have access to the kitchen where preparation of hot drinks takes place. Staff safeguard the children's welfare by having a strong understanding of child protection issues. They know how to address concerns and their policy on child protection is available to parents so that all are aware of their responsibility to the

p.3

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The provision is good. Children play enthusiastically with a good range of activities. They are soon comforted by staff when their parents or carers leave and they quickly engage in play. The staff are gaining in confidence at using the Birth to Three matters framework when focusing on the needs of children under three years. The youngest children in the group are fully involved in what is happening and receive good support from the attentive staff. Staff ensure activities are appropriate for the ages of children attending. In the morning for example younger ones gain confidence in using simple technology as they use remote controlled cars or operate a portable tape recorder. The older children in the afternoon progress to using a computer, demonstrating their ability to operate a mouse and be familiar with software. This is one of many examples when staff work well to meet the individual needs of the children.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Nursery Education The quality of teaching and learning is good. The children are making successful progress along the stepping stones towards the early learning goals. The staff plan the educational curriculum thoroughly to ensure children have regular opportunities to experience all six areas of learning. The staff monitor the children's progress carefully and they set targets for future learning based on the children's abilities and achievements. The children have a positive attitude to learning, shown by their enthusiasm to involve themselves in activities. They behave very well at pre-school and they are making friends within the group. The children learn about their village community as they take part in celebrations such as May Day and they welcome visitors like the local vicar to the group. The children make decisions about what to play and respond to their own needs, for example to pour a drink when they are thirsty.

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The staff are good at helping children to reinforce their learning by offering activities linked to current interests. A trip to a farm provides a wide range of interesting activities within the pre-school to enable the children to reflect on their experiences. They talk to staff about what they saw at the farm and with adult help record this in paint and simple sentences. Photographs provide an opportunity for lots of

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 discussion too and the children are learning to take turns in talking in a group. Children enjoy stories with adults at regular intervals and they are familiar with rhyming words in favourite books. They occasionally hear letter sounds, though these are not currently introduced in any systematic way. The preschool owns an extensive range of good quality books though their display does not enable children to see the front covers and access them easily. Children recognise their own names and they are using early reading and writing when they play in areas set out like a home or shop. Children use counting and matching as they play. The staff are good at encouraging the children's early mathematical understanding. At the play dough table for example, conversations may include counting and talking about length or shape. The children

p.4

Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

explore what happens when water pours down tubes and they show an active interest in watering the plants in the garden. Staff introduce the children to living things with a wormery and by observing butterfly development. The children use a wide range of resources to help develop their co-ordination and dexterity. Children enjoy using paint, animal masks and puppets to express their own ideas. They have a good selection of resources for imaginative play when they can make up stories. Resources like pretend woodwork tools and work bench are a good stimulus for role play connected to repairing and building. Staff use the outdoor area of the pre-school effectively for activities to support learning. There is a good emphasis on children using their senses outdoors through the use of resources like wind chimes and pots of fragrant herbs.

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

The provision is outstanding. Staff care for children extremely well at the pre-school and the children benefit from the high ratio of adults present during the sessions. The children thrive since staff take into account their individual needs, recognising that they all develop at different rates. Children behave very well and they have excellent role models in the adults caring for them. Staff praise the children and motivate them to collect stickers for a group reward. The children are familiar with a song focusing on good manners, enthusiastically joining in the chorus of 'please, thank you and I say sorry'. Staff value the children's contributions to the sessions by displaying their ideas with photographs and captions of what they would like to play. Staff offer support to children with learning difficulties or disabilities, though none currently attends the setting. The children learn to respect others as they see visual

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

images of people with disabilities. Staff are proactive in ensuring the activities and resources help children to learn about diversity in a positive way. The children take part in festivals throughout the year to successfully build their understanding and experiences. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children is fostered. The partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. The parents receive a comprehensive range of information through a handbook, regular newsletters and excellent use of displays in the lobby area of the building. The parents are actively

p.5

Helping children make a positive contribution

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 encouraged to be part of the group and to share in their children's learning. Staff are committed to sharing details with them about the progress of the children by offering regular parent's evenings and conversations. Staff actively seek out and value parental feedback. Parents are enthusiastic about the good quality of care their children receive at the setting.

p.5

Organisation

The organisation is good. The pre-school is well organised by a dedicated and experienced team of adults. They have a broad range of qualifications between them and they attend training as part of their professional development. The leadership and management are good. The policies and procedures in place work well to support the good health and welfare of the children. The staff protect children by ensuring that adults who work in the setting are suitable to do so. They have sound recruitment and induction procedures in preparation to recruit new staff, though the stability of the team means these are rarely called upon. The staff are committed to improvement and regularly produce action plans for future developments. The staff review the documentation on a regular basis and add new procedures, for example a personal care policy, as the need arises. They recognise the importance of maintaining confidentiality and they store paperwork securely. The staff operate a

p.6

Organisation

key worker system so that all children receive individual attention and the staff organise the pre-school sessions to take into account the needs of the different ages of children. The staff operate efficiently together to provide children with a stimulating and happy place for play and learning. The setting meets the needs of the range of children for whom it provides.

p.6

Improvements since the last inspection

At the last care inspection the pre-school was required to address an area for improvement relating to child protection. The staff acted promptly to ensure their version of guidelines was the most recent one. They amended their child protection policy so that they are sure what to do should an allegation be made against a member of staff. The impact on the children is to protect their well-being whilst at the pre-school. At the last inspection of nursery education there was one point for consideration relating to creative development and the children's experiences of music. Staff now introduce a wide variety of styles of music and they have tried some interesting activities for the children such as playing classical music whilst the children paint. Recent plans include opportunities for the children to widen their experiences by listening to bag pipes, a steel band and jazz.

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

There have been no complaints made to Ofsted since the last inspection. The

p.6

Complaints since the last inspection

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000 provider is required to keep a record of complaints made by parents, which they can see on request. The complaint record may contain complaints other than those made to Ofsted.

p.6

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

On the basis of the evidence collected on this inspection:

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the care are good. The registered person meets the National Standards for under 8s day care and childminding.

p.7

THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS OF THE CARE AND NURSERY EDUCATION

The quality and standards of the nursery education are good.

p.7

The quality and standards of the care

To improve the quality and standards of care further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • ensure children cannot access the kitchen • monitor the temperature of the premises to ensure they are kept within a comfortable range

p.7

The quality and standards of the nursery education

To improve the quality and standards of nursery education further the registered person should take account of the following recommendation(s): • display books so that children can access them easily and increase the children's awareness of the sounds of letters

p.7

The quality and standards of the nursery education

procedures set out in the leaflet Building better childcare: Compliments and concerns about inspectors' judgements which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.7

The quality and standards of the nursery education

This inspection was carried out under the provisions of Part XA of the Children Act 1989, as inserted by the Care Standards Act 2000

p.7